ROCKY MOUNTAINS
Planning your trip to Saratoga, Wyoming
THE BEST WAY
From LAX to Cheyenne, Wyo., Frontier, United, American and Delta offer connecting service (change of planes). Restricted fares begin at $432 round trip.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Wolf, P.O. Box 1298, Saratoga; (307) 326-5525, www.wolfhotel.com. The restored hotel-restaurant looks much as it did when it served as a stagecoach stop in the 1890s. A basic room is $57 a night; the executive suite runs $100.
Saratoga Inn, P.O. Box 869, Saratoga; (800) 594-0178, www.saratogainn.com. Luxury with a Western theme. The 50 rooms have lodgepole bed frames, feather mattresses, Pendleton wool blankets and Western artwork. The courtyard contains a 70-foot hot pool and five smaller pools. Summer rates start at $100.
Medicine Bow Lodge, Star Route 8A, 82331; (800) 409-5439, www.medbowlodge.com. About 20 miles east of Saratoga in the Snowy Range, close to hiking, biking and horseback trails. Cabins, with meals and use of hot tub, sauna, workout facility and other ranch activities, cost $165 per night.
WHERE TO EAT
Restaurants at the Hotel Wolf and Saratoga Inn are popular stops for locals and visitors alike. Both feature American fare. The hotel's prices are $12 to $22.95; the inn's entrees are $18.95 to $20.
Lazy River Cantina, 110 E. Bridge St., (307) 326-8472. Mexican food and margaritas. Live entertainment in summer. Entrees start at $7.50.
ACTIVITIES
Fly-fishing along the North Platte -- a blue-ribbon trout stream -- is superb, particularly if you have a guide who knows the river and has access to stretches within private ranches.
Hack's Tackle and Outfitters, 407 N. 1st St.; (307) 326-9823. Float and wade-fishing trips and guided scenic trips. A full-day float trip costs $380. Hack's also rents rafts and canoes and operates a shuttle service.
Pedal House, 207 S. 1st St., Laramie; (307) 742-5533, www.pedalhouse.com. Bike rentals $40 for first day, $20 for additional days.
TO LEARN MORE
Saratoga/Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce, 106 N. 1st St., Saratoga, WY 82331 (866) 828-8855, www.saratogachamber.info.
 This is a city known for great old architecture. And it's a desert spot and has a long-standing tradition of hospitality. |
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